A Qing-era Shunde fried pastry shaped like a butterfly — layers of sugar-lard dough wound into a cylinder, sliced, hand-pinched into wing-spread form, and deep-fried to a shattering crisp. The name 崩砂 renders the Cantonese word for butterfly in phonetic characters.
Legend attributes the creation of Daliang Butterfly Crisps to a Shunde pastry maker named Liang Chengzhang, who opened his Cheng Ji fried-food stall in Daliang during the Qianlong reign, reportedly in 1788. The dish was transformed in the 1920s by confectioner Li Xi, whose twelfth son Li Qiaoyun refined the dough formula and frying technique dramatically, establishing the Li Xi Ji brand that survives to this day.
One bite and it shatters into a hundred flakes — there is almost no chewing to do. The sweetness is clean and not cloying, underpinned by the faintest savory note from the red fermented tofu, with a ghost of toasted peanut oil lingering after.
The lamination technique — rolling dough with oil between layers into a multi-layer cylinder, then slicing across — creates dozens of independent thin dough layers separated by oil films. In the frying oil, moisture in each layer converts to steam, inflating and separating the layers into the characteristic shattered-flake texture (崩). Frying at a relatively low temperature (around 150°C) allows the interior layers to cook through before the exterior browns too fast, ensuring the crisp is light rather than dense. Red fermented tofu (南乳) contributes both subtle umami and the slight reddish tint.
Variations
The classic form uses white sugar for a pale golden color. A darker variant sweetened with brown sugar has a deeper caramel flavor. Some modern producers add black sesame seeds to the dough for visual contrast and nutty fragrance. The Li Xi Ji shop also produces a salted version with reduced sugar, designed as a savory accompaniment to tea.
On the Palate
Where Daliang Butterfly Crisps sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
7 steps · 1 hour 10 min active + 20 min waiting
- 125 min
Sift flour into a bowl. Add white sugar, salt, red fermented tofu (mashed smooth), baking soda, and just enough water to bring together into a smooth, pliable dough. Knead until non-sticky. Rest 20 minutes.
- 25 min
Roll the dough into a long thin sheet approximately 3 mm thick. Brush the surface with a thin film of peanut oil, then brush a second thin film of plain water directly on top of the oil.
Watch outBrush a thin film of oil then a film of water on top — the oil is what separates the layers into flakes when they fry; skip it and you get one dense slab.
- 315 min
Roll the sheet tightly into a multi-layer cylinder and press firmly to compress the layers. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm.
- 48 min
Slice the cylinder crosswise into rounds approximately 2 mm thick, cutting every 4 slices as a connected block with only the 4th cut going all the way through.
Watch outWhen slicing, leave every fourth cut as the only one going all the way through — the connected pairs are what open into the two butterfly wings.
- 510 min
Hand-pinch each block at both ends and twist gently to spread into a butterfly wing shape, pressing the center to hold the form.
- 615 min
Heat peanut oil in a wok to approximately 150°C (test with a wooden chopstick — small bubbles should appear). Fry the butterfly crisps in batches, turning gently, until golden and floating — about 4 minutes.
Watch outFry at a gentle 150 degrees — a wooden chopstick should raise fine bubbles, not a violent fizz; too hot and the outside browns before the inner layers puff.
- 77 min
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. Cool completely before storing airtight; the crisps continue to firm as they cool.
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